A sweet spotted Chrysanthemum floats on a river,
Caught in twigs, and escaping with only drops of dew,
To sparkle and show evidence of a small battle won
Against the rushing fervor
Blown from the bush of her brothers too early,
She is young and sturdy
And the dragonflies flicker,
Her pinks and purples dancing their improvised number

An explorer cuts smoothly on the river,
His vessel rich and warm,
Tough, but none too weathered
Rippling and golden bronze
For he does not fear the sun,
He knows the reward of burns gained
Under a long and heated touch
Explorer sees flower,
Scoops her from the water,
Only to see she’s plucked herself all on her own
His velvet palm,
A heavenly home

I’d never heard anyone
Call you by your full name like that
And standing between the tall terraced houses,
I swore I could see your eyes through the cracks
The gaps in the brick
This crushing weight I feel could surely cave in my chest
The flower pots laugh and tell me I’m a mess,
I soak the leather seats
Wishing I was soaking in your breath
And if you were a fish in a tank,
I’d beat on the glass until my knuckles bled
And if you were deep inside the earth,
I’d find a way to make them bury me
Whether through feigning,
Or truly being dead

I cut into our tie,
So thin and wire fine,
But thick and heavy as an iron rope
Frozen,
And expertly sewn together
Reinforced and broken one too many times
The scar tissue,
Now ruining my life
Preventing the truth of your heart,
And the freedom of mine
I slip in my sweat,
Each and every night
Going at the tether again
With a dull and desperate knife

If I’m a waste of time,
Then you’ve had a lot of quick wins
You must have put a lot of ends
On your dime
If I’m a waste of time,
Then you’re a sewer swallowing soap
Mouthful by mouthful
You bubble up
If I wasn’t worth the mere seconds you spared,
Caring for my heart
Or tangling your hands in my hair,
Then the letdowns you’ve seen must block the sun
Towering high,
Becoming one
Because if my undying love,
My tears and torn throat
My nails on your back
Entire nights on the phone
Every train I that took,
Your favorite boots that you own
Were a waste of your time
I’m sure your ticker is broke

A shoot and miss in the dark,
I try to guess your thoughts
Hope it won’t hurt but will burn just enough
I beg you through silence and telephone lines
You take a shy bow,
And blow out three dozen lights
Grind me down ‘till I’m powder fine
Holding so steady and strong,
I beg you to try
Hold me close
Kiss me goodnight

A full body, lilac blush
I look for new summer leaves
To crush,
Under my zealous feet
I look for ways to bait you
So you’ll notice my purple hue
As I refuse to breathe
Refuse to move
Plant my heels in the burning sand
To match your working boots
Hold a heavy mirror to
All it could’ve been
Simply the same animal, we are
In the end

The rain said to the tree,
“You’ve taken my heart,
Will you marry me?”
And the tree looked down
To the earth at his feet
And he said
“I love you too,
But there’s a problem you see
Some days I see the sky blacken and shake
And you become a hurricane
In that state, you destroy me
Tear up my roots,
Rip away my leaves
You water the ground,
You give me all that I need
Shower life upon my seeds
But I am scared to open upon to thee
To be strong in your raging wind
And give you my everything”